Total Complaints
2 filings
FORD F SERIES (MEDIUM) · model year
2 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998FORDF SERIES (MEDIUM) carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1998 F SERIES (MEDIUM) is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 1 filings, followed by vehicle speed control:cruise control (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 1998 F SERIES (MEDIUM), and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
2 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL | 1 |
VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE AFTER ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF.*CN
Mileage: 80,000
ON DELIVERY OF VECHICLE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND BREAK DEFECT BREAKS DO NOT STOP WHEN USEING THEM FOR REGULAR USE AT EVEN SLOW SPEEDS RESULTING IN ALMOST HITTING OTHER VECHICLES I HAVE TO TRY AND STOP VECHICLE FROM FAR AWAY DISTANCES
Mileage: 66,513
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.